Pavin Smith was almost unstoppable on Sunday.
The Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder led them to a dominant 12-6 win over the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Sunday night. Smith had three home runs in his five at-bats on the night, including in each of his first three, which accounted for eight RBI in the six-run win.
Smith got things started for the Diamondbacks in the second inning when he drilled a three-run shot off the right field foul pole. That put Arizona up 3-0 almost right out of the gate.
Then in the third inning, after Eugenio Suárez hit an RBI single and loaded up the bases, Smith hit a grand slam to deep left field. Just like that, the Diamondbacks were up 8-0, and Smith had taken credit for seven of their eight runs.
Smith didn’t slow down at all, either. He then hit his longest home run of the night in the fifth inning, powering his third homer just shy of 400 feet to right field to add yet another run for the Diamondbacks.
Smith’s big night slowed down significantly after that. He struck out in his fourth at-bat in the seventh inning and was walked in the ninth. The Diamondbacks added a run in both the seventh and eighth innings, too, after Luis Guillorme hit a sacrifice fly and then Jake McCarthy hit an RBI single. Suárez hit a solo home run in the ninth inning, too, which pushed them to a seven-run lead and eventually the win.
Suárez had himself a night, too. He had four hits and four runs in his five at bats, and his home run in the ninth inning was his 26th of the season.
Smith had just four home runs on the season before Sunday night. He entered the game against the Astros with a .247 batting average with 18 RBI on the year, his fifth with the franchise. He’s now matched his home run total from the 2023 campaign, and he’s just four shy of matching his career-high he set back in 2021.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Diamondbacks, who now hold an 80-64 record. They are now half of a game back from the San Diego Padres for second in the NL West and more than six games back from the division-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Both the Diamondbacks and Padres currently hold a wild card spot in the National League, too, which would push the Diamondbacks into the postseason for the second straight season.